Letters 70–82

Important Quotations Explained

Summary

Celie learns that Shug wants the freedom to have a fling
with Germaine, a young man who is a third her age. Though Celie
is less dependent than she used to be upon Shug, Shug’s revelation
is painful for Celie nevertheless. Mr. ______ is the only person
who understands Celie’s pain, as he has also felt the sting of Shug’s
sometimes short-lived infidelity. Celie realizes that she no longer
hates Mr. ______, even after all the wrongs he has committed. Mr.
______ loves Shug, and Shug loved him, so Celie cannot hate him.
Celie and Mr. ______ begin to enjoy each other’s conversation, talking
about old times, their friends and family, and their new discoveries
about life.

Nettie writes that her and Samuel’s years in Africa have
changed their idea of God. They no longer conceptualize God as looking
like someone or something. Olivia and Adam have grown independent and
outspoken like Africans, and Nettie worries they will get into trouble
when they return to America.

The mayor’s daughter, Eleanor Jane, brings her baby son
to Sofia’s house. Eleanor Jane fishes for compliments about her
son, trying to get Sofia to say that she loves him. Finally, Sofia
tells Eleanor Jane that she feels nothing for the boy, and Eleanor
Jane begins to cry. Sofia says that she does feel some kindness
for Eleanor Jane because Eleanor Jane had showed her kindness, but
otherwise, the pain and racism that Sofia endured prevents Sofia
from loving anyone else in the mayor’s family. Though Eleanor Jane
vows to raise her son right, Sofia tells her that white society
will probably make him into a racist nonetheless.

Celie overcomes her heartbreak over Shug, remembering
the good times she and Shug had in the past. Celie hires Sofia to
work in her clothing store. Eleanor Jane finally learns the full
story of why Sofia had come to work for her parents and begins to
appreciate Sofia’s distance from her. Trying to undo the wrongs
of her family history, Eleanor Jane helps to look after Henrietta,
Sofia’s daughter, and cooks for her. Shug’s love affair with Germaine
fizzles, and she returns home to Georgia. Shug becomes jealous when
she learns about Celie’s newly cordial relationship with Mr. ______,
but Celie assures Shug that she and Mr. ______ just talk about how
much they both love Shug.

Nettie finally returns to America, and she, Samuel, Olivia,
Adam, and Tashi arrive unannounced at Celie’s house. The homecoming
is incredibly emotional for both sisters, who are speechless and
weak with amazement. The family gathers on the Fourth of July, and many
people remark on Tashi’s beauty and how well matched she and Adam
are. Though Celie feels old because her children are fully grown,
at the same time she thinks, “[T]his the youngest us ever felt.”

Analysis

Celie’s final letter shows the extent to which her character
has developed through the course of the novel. Celie’s first letters
simply related events without really attempting to understand or
interpret them. Gradually, Celie began to make astute observations
of others and to articulate and analyze her own feelings. In her
final letters, Celie not only analyzes her own feelings, but she
has the confidence and insight to articulate the feelings and motives
of others. The novel ends with one such articulation, Celie’s comment
that though her generation is growing older, the family reunion
has made them feel younger than ever before. In this way, at the
end of the novel, Celie acts as a voice not only for herself, but
also for all the characters her age.

By making the act of writing a key element in the process
of Celie’s redemption, Walker underlines the importance of literacy and
makes an implicit reference to African-American slaves, who, forbidden
to learn to read or write, were oppressed by being kept illiterate.
Celie and Nettie likewise use literacy to combat oppression, maintaining
a remarkable commitment to writing over the course of many years
because they know their letters are the only link they have to each
other. Even though Celie is clearly less intellectual than her sister,
she gains just as much, if not more, out of her writing. In this
way, Walker asserts that writing is crucial and redeeming for everyone
and should not be viewed as a barrier dividing the educated from
the uneducated.

Celie’s final letter also shows that, like Shug, Celie
has formed an interpretation of God that encompasses the entire
everyday world. She writes, “Dear God. Dear stars, dear trees, dear
sky, dear peoples. Dear Everything. Dear God,” revealing that she
no longer sees God as a distant figure with which she feels she
has little or no connection. Celie’s acceptance of Shug’s trivial
fling with Germaine also emphasizes Celie’s growth. Celie still
loves Shug deeply, but her confidence in herself is now strong enough
to survive a lapse in Shug’s attentions. Moreover, Celie no longer
sees love as a game of possession and control. Celie loves Shug
but does not feel the need to tie her down, as she is confident
that Shug will come back as she promised. Moreover, we get the sense
that Celie is now strong enough that, even if Shug had not come
back, Celie would not be lost.

Though Walker celebrates diversity and difference in
the novel, the novel ends with the recognition that not all differences
can be overcome. Along with the novel’s notable reconciliations,
such as the one between Celie and Mr. ______, there are several
unresolved differences at the novel’s end. Conflicts remain between
the Olinka villagers and the whites and between Nettie and the indigenous
Africans. Likewise, Sofia holds out little hope that she and Eleanor
Jane can ever be truly reconciled. Even Eleanor Jane’s eventual
understanding of Sofia’s resentment is unlikely to change the hard
facts of the oppression Sofia has endured.

Walker’s implication is that some differences are truly
unbridgeable. Her novel shows mutual teaching and transformation
as more successful than attempts to appreciate and understand difference. Throughout
the novel, reconciliation occurs when characters transform and meld
each other into sameness. There are no notable examples of reconciliation
that come about due to characters who truly bridge differences with
one another. Celie, for instance, reconciles with Mr. ______ not
because she grows to understand his different ways, but because
her influence transforms Mr. ______ into someone who shares her
interests and values. Neither Celie nor Mr. ______ truly bridge
any difference, as Mr. ______ has transformed himself so drastically
that there is no longer any difference between them left to bridge.
Though Walker’s view may seem somewhat pessimistic, it is important
to remember that, above all, The Color Purple is
a story of successful transformation. Though some differences and
conflicts remain unresolved at the novel’s conclusion, we have seen
the remarkable transformation of an impoverished, abused woman of
color into a successful, propertied entrepreneur who delights in
her own sexuality and is enmeshed in a supportive, -loving community.

I think it's important to specify that her abuse was psychological, emotional, physical, and sexual. Rape is one of the most traumatic crimes committed and I'm certain it contributed to her sense of powerlessness and low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness and her revulsion towards sex. Both her husband and her father raped her repeatedly. It's important.

There's no note of sexuality here, which is also important. Celie was raped repeatedly by Mr., her husband, and her step-father. She grew numb to it, which can happen with repeated abuse especially when it happens so often. The only sex she ever enjoyed was the completely consensual and compassionate time she shared with Shug. That makes Celie possibly gay/lesbian/bisexual/queer, or even asexual because she wasn't actually concerned about the act but more the emotional attachment and connection with Shug. Without any other positive sexual ex... Read more→